Creative Writing Exercise Nii Parkes

The Best Grilled Cheese Sandwich in the World:

You remove the bread from the plastic bag taking care not to bend or tear any of the pieces, heat up a pan with a slither of butter in it prior to doing this. Once the butter is simmering nicely add both pieces of bread in and cook in the pan taking care to do this on both sides. Cook each side until a nice golden brown texture. Remove both hot pieces of bread and add the cheese in between them and throw onto the pan for a final round of frying. When the cheese is dripping off the sides you can remove the sandwich, let it cool down and enjoy.

Autumn Leaves:

You take a rake and go on yo tour lawn. You give a heavy and frustrated sigh before beginning to rake your leaves. When you are ready to your leaves pick up your rake and rake the leaves for an indefinite amount of time until they are all in one big pile, than you sit back and enjoy a clean lawn. There is not much else to be said about raking leaves other than it is extremely boring. Have fun.

Anowa: Male Dominance and Thought About Phase 2

Phase two further develops the story of Anowa. I was actually very surprised to find out that Kofi Ako would ever suggest purchasing men to help him out with labor. Anowa is also taken aback by the request. I believe the reason the parents had a strong dislike for him in phase one is because they know the kind of man he is. Phase two brings to light many fundamental flaws in his character:

What shall the gods of your fathers do for you? I know you think you are the wise one of the two of us. (90)

First of all his arrogance and superiority complex. He thinks he is better in every way than Anowa. Yes, it is understandable that this was a time period during which men had a much larger more dominant role in society, yet that being said he doesn't have the traits of a good future husband. Anowa's parents probably know this as well.

What I like about Osam, is that despite the fact that he doesn't approve of Kofi Ako, he is a man that wishes to let his daughter lead her life how she pleases. The mother Badua on the other hand seems rather intrusive with her daughters life. The father perhaps is more willing to let his daughter stay with Kofi is because, despite the fact that he doesn't like him, he shares a similar view of women. This is evident because one can see how Osam has manipulated his own wife into an obedient and submissive woman, he has even brainwashed her the point where she herself says things such as:

A good woman does not have a brain or mouth (93)

Overall, Anowa continues to be a good read. It is not my favorite book nor is it the worst, I still look forward to continue reading it, just not as eagerly as other books. I don't have any future predictions about the play, but I am hoping that she does not marry Kofi Ako as I dislike him strongly as a character.

Anowa: Similarities to Other African Novels

So far Anowa is a great book, it reminds me a lot of Things Fall Apart in many ways as well. The time period and dowry system are the two things that immediately come to mind. However it is completely different from what else we have read in the sense that it is a play rather than a novel. There are many aspects of this play that I find strange, yet very interesting as well and as a result I have many questions that have yet to be answered. Who are the old man and old woman? Are they married? Why are they lumped together as a character called The Mouth that Eats Salt and Pepper. I cannot even come up with any possible reason for why they are referred to as something else, when they are together, it is something that is ultimately very strange for me. The plot of the story involving marriage and a girl facing disapproval from her parents seems very common from other books we have read. Specifically the idea of parents not approving of their daughters actions reminds me a lot of Nyasha from Nervous Conditions. I look forward to continue reading the play and wait eagerly in anticipation to find out why the parents disapprove of the man that Anowa wants to marry. Great story so far, can't wait to see how it progresses.

Class Participation Check

Grade: 17/20

There are days where I feel that I greatly contribute to a discussion and offer some insight on interesting topics that are present in the novel. That being said there are a few days where I speak very little or practically not at all. On the days I do speak I feel like I do so a lot. That being said what I can work on is paying greater attention in class and the discussion at hand, and if I zone out to focus and get back into the discussion of the group. Morning classes are particularly difficult especially with only a few hours of sleep, so coffee is probably the best solution to that. With that said I feel like I deserved the grade I've given myself but nothing can stop me from doing even better. I will apply myself harder for the rest of the semester and nothing more can really be said about that. I don't dominate conversations and make sure to give everyone a chance to speak and likewise I don't usually let everyone speak and I remain silent.

Tail of the Blue Bird: Ending Reflection

The last fifteen to twenty pages of the novel are so surprising. My initial reaction to the ending was that it was a great way to wrap up the story, however that being said it still leaves a lot of details about the case missing/unsolved so the reader never really gets a full sense of closure. The case aside, I found it very dramatic though not fully plausible that Kayo would so willingly accept death rather than work for a corrupt police chief:

Kayo held the inspector's piercing gaze, knowing that, contrary to the training he had received, he was acting on instinct over logic. 'You might as well shoot me then.' He turned and walked towards the dark mass of the forest beyond the clearing. The last thing he saw as he turned was Inspector Donkor raising his pistol to take aim. (168)

 Not only would he being doing the thing he loves (forensic science) but he would also be making great money. As mentioned in the novel, for him to make a decision like this he would have to do so by weighing his instinct much more heavily than his logic (which is unlike Kayo). This brings me to my next point though. In light of Kayo "acting on instinct over logic" (168) this shows that he has undergone an immense change since the beginning of the novel. As someone who initially made cold, calculated decisions- or at least took that approach towards many things in his life- for him to choose instinct over logic means that he has truly changed the kind of character he is for good. Whether this transformation is for good or bad is a matter of opinion, the point is somehow within this past of week of trying to solve this case he has changed for good. A very satisfying thing about the ending is how we see Kayo defy authority. Earlier in the novel, when he was being pulled over and forcibly made to cooperate with the police force he chose not to fully challenge his arrest. Here, at the end of the novel before he is about to be shot he challenges Inspector Donkor's authority and ultimately shows that he has not fallen victim to the power structure of the law.

Overall a great finish, though it still leaves bits of the case unanswered.

Tail of the Blue Bird: Breaking the Norm

I'm starting to really like Kayo as a character in the novel. I suppose the only way to explain it is that he's a very different type of character from the rest of the books we have read. He embodies a much more contemporary African man. I also like how he is a character that many people can relate to especially in terms of his dull, dreary working life. That being said the author throws in little quotes and details that the reader find interesting:

...he slipped Stevie Wonder's Innervisions CD into his computer and began to tidy his desk. He clicked his fingers to 'Too High'.

These small details to me at least make the story all the more interesting, they help develop the character even further and just give him an interesting personality. Unlike other novels we read such as "Things Fall Apart"the character here is not a hardened warrior and a tribal figure but rather he is a modern working man with a dull work life. It seems as if the author Nii Ayikwei Parkes is trying to break the norm with traditional African stories and wants to make a new leap in African literature. Another interesting subject I observed while reading was the corruption of the law. Nii Ayikwei Parkes does not seem to be the most fond person of the police as he goes out of his way to make the majority of them look corrupt and abusive with power especially Sergeant Ofosu as shown with his encounter with Kayo:

'Sergeant, you still haven't told me why I've been stopped.' Sergeant Ofosu rapped hard on Kayo's door. 'My friend, do you want me to break your legs or something? I said get out.'

In terms of what we have read so far the novel seems to be taking an interesting direction. I'm looking forward to reading further.

Nervous Conditions Ending

The last chapter of Nervous Condition was by far the most intense, that crammed as much stuff as possible within the last few pages of the novel. Nyasha's bulimia/anorexia as a result of her fathers attitude towards her (her father not understanding her and forcing her to eat) came as a huge surprise to me but then again was also hinted at prior to this. It was hinted when she was smoking cigarettes before and that showed how these eating disorders are much more of a Western concept in the sense that many people suffer from these to try and improve their image or because they have emotional problems. Tambu leaving and going to study at the other school was interesting as well. I was surprised that Babamukuru actually beat Tambu for her not going to the wedding because he is not her father and I am also surprised that he did not send her home like he said he would. In addition to Tambu's mom getting married I also found Maiguru leaving very interesting. Her brief time of leave only to come back very quickly shows that she cannot be self sufficient or that she loves Babamukuru too much, but I thought she would never go through with it even it was for such a short period of time. There is not much else to say other then so much happened in these last few chapters of the book and in such a short amount of time it really felt like there was a sense of urgency and tension within the last few pages. Finishing the books makes me wonder what the title of the book really means, what does "Nervous Conditions" mean. Is it referring to the nervous vibes and tense atmosphere given off from the last few pages of the book. Could it be something that happened earlier in the novel, or could the title be addressing a concept as a whole? It is something that I do not fully understand and can only speculate.